last night on late night

Jussie Smollett “Has Screwed Over Everyone,” Says Trevor Noah

“When this started out, it was a story about people who hated Jussie Smollett because he was black and gay. But now people hate him because he’s an asshole. In other words, they’re judging him on the content of his character and not the color of his skin.”

The Jussie Smollett case is growing more bizarre with each passing day—and Trevor Noah remains pretty baffled by the whole thing. The Daily Show host first aired his thoughts earlier this week in a “Between the Scenes” clip, in which he said the story of Smollett allegedly being attacked by two assailants “just doesn’t make sense.” And on Thursday, after Chicago police delivered a stern condemnation of the Empire actor while explaining why they believe Smollett staged his own attack, the comedian—like the rest of us—was even more flummoxed.

“Are you kidding me?” Noah said. “This dude may have faked a hate crime just to get a raise? I don’t understand—like what’s the logic there? You get your ass beat, and then you go to your boss and be like, ‘Hey, can I get another million dollars? I need to buy some Band-Aids”?

Further details revealed by Chicago police and the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office only raise more questions—like how anyone allegedly staging a hate crime could think it’s a good idea to pay two fake assailants by check. Additionally, authorities said they were able to use ride-hailing and cell-phone records to piece together what allegedly happened on the night of the incident. The real kicker was police’s assertion that Smollett seemed to hope his attack would be captured on surveillance photos—but failed, because the camera he’d been relying on was facing the wrong direction.

“You’ve got to be shitting me,” Noah said. “He wanted to be caught, but he didn’t get caught on-camera because he didn’t know which way the camera was pointing? You’re an actor; that’s your only job!”

Smollett continues to maintain his innocence, even as he faces up to three years in prison. The actor’s bond was set at $100,000; he was released from police custody Thursday upon paying a $10,000 bond, after which he returned to the Empire set. A person at the meeting between Smollett and his Fox colleagues told CNN that there, Smollett largely echoed the statement his attorney released earlier that afternoon, which read: “Today we witnessed an organized law-enforcement spectacle that has no place in the American legal system. The presumption of innocence, a bedrock in the search for justice, was trampled upon at the expense of Mr. Smollett and notably, on the eve of a Mayoral election. Mr. Smollett is a young man of impeccable character and integrity who fiercely and solemnly maintains his innocence and feels betrayed by a system that apparently wants to skip due process and proceed directly to sentencing.”

As Noah mulled the case on-air, he said the actor “has screwed over everyone.”

“Think about it,” Noah said. “Members of the gay community are emotionally terrorized over something that turned out to be a hoax; Trump supporters are upset about being falsely accused; and Democratic candidates are tying themselves into knots, trying to walk back their initial statements calling this a ‘modern-day lynching.’”

There is, however, one silver lining, Noah noted dryly. “When this started out, it was a story about people who hated Jussie Smollett because he was black and gay. But now people hate him because he’s an asshole. In other words, they’re judging him on the content of his character and not the color of his skin. And that, my friends, is progress.”

Meanwhile, on The Late Show,Stephen Colbert shared a similar assessment of Smollett’s character: “This story involves race, sexuality, politics, and violence,” the comedian said as he began to address the subject in his monologue. “So I need to tread very lightly here and simply say: what a dick!”

In addition to some of the details Noah also mentioned, Colbert couldn’t help but puzzle over the fact that Smollett allegedly hired two black men to stage a supposedly racially motivated hate crime against him. “Look, I’m no expert,” the comedian said. “But if you’re gonna fake a white-supremacist hate crime, hire two white guys, O.K.? This is one place where you don’t want diversity.”

And like Noah, Colbert reflected on the harm this story has caused, and could continue to cause in the future. “It’s depressing—the whole thing. It’s a horrible affront to actual victims of hate crimes . . . It sets back their credibility.”

As the story continues to develop, Fox faces its own dilemma: what to do about one of the most beloved characters on one of its most popular shows. As The New York Times reports, even now, amid waning ratings, the series still attracts an average of 7.1 million viewers per week. Last week, as skepticism around Smollett’s story grew, Twentieth Century Fox Television and Fox Entertainment released a joint statement of support for Smollett, directly addressing the rumor that Smollett had allegedly staged the crime because he was going to be written off Empire: “The idea that Jussie Smollett has been, or would be, written off of Empire is patently ridiculous. He remains a core player on this very successful series and we continue to stand behind him.” In a statement this week, Fox called Smollett “a consummate professional.”

On Thursday, however, the companies released a new statement in the wake of Smollett’s indictment and the police briefing, which read, “We understand the seriousness of this matter and we respect the legal process. We are evaluating the situation and we are considering our options.”

As the Times notes, Fox has not made an official decision yet as to whether it will cancel or renew Empire—a call that’s suddenly become a lot more fraught. The network could put the decision off for a few months, the *Times * reports, and if the series moves forward with another season, executives can wait until the end of June to pick up options for actors’ contracts. For now, CNN reports that production on the season finale is underway, with filming set to run through next week.